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Liz Wilson, head of marketing at Esendex, explains why mobile still isn’t up to scratch for conversion – and how to maximise it for your business

As a reader of Mobile Marketing, you probably don't need reminding of Google’s mobile-friendly update to search rankings in April 2015. Dubbed ‘Mobilegeddon’ at the time, the update was intended to provide users with a better experience when accessing websites from a mobile.

Google’s first pass at defining the criteria for mobile-friendly websites wasn’t complicated: text needs to be readable without zooming; the content needs to be sized to the screen; links need to be placed far enough apart that the correct one can be easily tapped; and site owners should avoid utilising software that’s not common on mobile devices.

While Google continues to refine these criteria, with initiatives such as AMP, adoption of the basics continues to trundle forward. Small business owners might have thought that by taking these steps, they’d see an improvement in conversions. But, as you can see from the graph below, mobile continues to languish well behind desktop.

This doesn’t just apply to eCommerce. We looked at the statistics for form completion (see the results below). An example from the recruitment industry illustrates the issue: eight per cent of candidates accessing a job application form on desktop will complete it, but that figure drops to 1.5 per cent when accessed on mobile.

The team who conducted the research concluded that, while the purpose of responsive websites is to reduce friction (perceived effort) and anxiety (perceived concern), this doesn’t happen simply by applying Google’s criteria to your website.

So what can you do to improve mobile conversion rates? Esendex’s customers are particularly invested in this question, as they’re seeking ways to reduce the load on their agents by encouraging greater levels of self-serve.

The infographic below outlines the key drivers that have helped Esendex achieve an average click-to-completion rate of 46.5 per cent for customers applying these tactics.

The simplest expression of these findings is that, if you are invested in mobile form completion, it’s not enough to simply make the fields larger and the buttons more clickable. You have to address the much broader challenges that are presented by customers interacting with your business on the move.

This sponsored article first appeared in the June 2017 print edition of Mobile Marketing. You can read the whole issue here.